Public Review Underway for East Harlem Initiative

The proposal would create new affordable housing, strengthen the neighborhood as a major transit hub and job center, and preserve neighborhood character in existing mid-scale residential areas. On April 24, 2017, the Department of City Planning began the public review process for its proposal to rezone Manhattan’s East Harlem neighborhood. The East Harlem Initiative would invest in the improvement of the neighborhood by adding new affordable housing, creating opportunities for economic development, planning for infrastructure … <Read More>


Comptroller Reveals that Half of Privately Owned Public Spaces, Including Three Trump Properties, Were In Violation of Law

Comptroller’s audit finds that the City has fallen substantially short in its duty of overseeing Privately Owned Public Space agreements, including agreements with Trump Tower, Trump International Hotel, and Trump Plaza. On April 18, 2017, the Office of the City Comptroller Scott Stringer released a report of an audit of how adequately the City oversees Privately Owned Public Space agreements with developers and building owners. Privately Owned Public Space agreements are created by developers in … <Read More>



City Planning Commission Hears Testimony on the Rezoning of Water Street’s Privately Owned Public Space

The proposed zoning text amendment would facilitate the replacement of sheltered outdoor space with commercial storefronts. On March 30th, 2016, the City Planning Commission held a public hearing on an application submitted by the Alliance for Downtown New York, the NYC Economic Development Corporation, and the Department of City Planning to amend the zoning text regulating Manhattan Community District 1’s Special Lower Manhattan District, which includes property sites located within the area bounded by Pearl … <Read More>


Proposal for Four Seasons Restaurant Renovation Substantially Denied

Landmarks voted to issue a certificate of appropriateness for new carpeting, while denying plans to alter walnut-veneer transom and lighting, and remove glass partition installed by Philip Johnson in 1983. On May 19, 2015, the Landmarks Preservation Commission considered a proposal to make alterations to the Four Seasons Restaurant, designated an interior landmark in 1989, in the lobby of the Seagram Building at 375 Park Avenue in Manhattan. The Seagram Building, completed in 1958, … <Read More>


BSA Allows Use Conversion for New Queens Commercial Building

Board noted the conversion would reduce the impact of non-conforming use on the neighborhood. On April 14, 2015 the Board of Standards and Appeals voted to grant 221-16 Merrick Blvd. Associates LLC a special permit to change an existing commercial building at 221-18 Merrick Boulevard in Queens to Use Group 6 retail in conjunction with redeveloping the Merrick Flea Market area.  The proposal would reduce the size of the subject building from 10,600 to 8,176 … <Read More>